07/23/06 Titus

Titus (1999), directed by Julie Taymor

watched solo; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home; suggested by Christina M.

Here we go. Let's take a bloody Shakespearean classic (aren't all of his classics?), give the directing duties to a famed female stage director/costumer, assemble a credible & sleek batch of actors lead by iconic Sir Anthony Hopkins, fill it with tons of colors/costumes/scenery, a pinch of industrial/jazz music, toss in modernized warfare of tanks/machine guns/business suits, and set the creativity blender on phantasmagoric puree. That's basically the concoction you are left with in this updated version of a brutal period tragedy. Hopkins plays the title role of Titus Andronicus, a Roman war general who returns to Roman with royal hostages of Queen Tamora (Jessica Lange) of the Goths and her sons, the oldest of which he orders slain for Roman retribution. Upon declining the newly vacant throne, Titus leaves open the chance for the corrupt Saturninus (Alan Cumming) to claim rule and lay seige to the city. Saturninus further complicates matters by betraying his brother by wanting his betrothed wife Lavinia (Titus' daughter), banishing Titus' sons and taking bed with the captured Queen Tamora. In retaliation to Titus' actions, Tamora's two evil sons (prevoked by conspirator Aaron), torture and abuse Lavinia to merciless ends...causing revenge to be wanted by Titus and his sons. The ensuing maelstrom explodes a bitter war over honor, betrayal, politics, love, and vengeance. Basically, everyone portrayed in that ancient era was in some way debaucherous, violent, evil, conniving, or proud to a fault. A very big fault. I loved the inclusion of so many modern pieces against the antiquated backdrops and language. You would here dialogue that you only read in Shakespearean plays, doused with a surrealism including automobiles, advanced weaponry and people wearing suit & ties, all infused with a hard-hitting industrial music score (sprinkled in with the classical pieces). I liked that very much, although at times it was a bit too haphazard for me...but definitely more successful an attempt at this re-working than say Baz Luhrmann's horrible adaptation of "Romeo + Juliet" a few years prior to "Titus." Perhaps it's the much more talented acting and cinematography that take place here. Whatever the cause, the vibrant colors and flowery language hooked me here.

3 out of 5 stars